Grade 9 Boys Volleyball

• Tuesday, Sept 13th: 4:00-5:30pm
• Thursday, Sept 15th: 4:00-5:30pm

Grade 9 Girls Volleyball

• Tuesday, Sept 13th: 7:00-8:30pm
• Thursday, Sept 15th: 7:00-8:30pm

Grade 8 Girls Basketball

• Wednesday, Sept 14th: 8:30-10:00pm
• Monday, Sept 19th: 8:30-10:00pm

Grade 7 Boys Volleyball

• Thursday, Sept 15th: 5:30-7:00pm
• Tuesday, Sept 20th: 5:30-7:00pm

Grade 7 Boys Basketball

• Monday, Sept 19th: 4:00-5:30pm
• Wednesday, Sept21st: 4:00-5:30pm

Other school teams will be posted as more coaches confirm tryout times.

Starting this year, MDJH will be using a new method to record student absences. If you know that a student in your home will not be in school that day, or in a time to come, please use the new SafeArrival system.

With SafeArrival, you are asked to report your child’s absence in advance using any of these 3 convenient methods:

1. Using your mobile device, download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or from the links at go.schoolmessenger.ca). The first time you use the app, select Sign Up to create your account. Select Attendance then Report an Absence.
2. Use the SafeArrival website (go.schoolmessenger.ca). The first time you use the website, select Sign Up to create your account. Select Attendance then Report an Absence.
3. Call the toll-free number 1 (844) 408-9360 to report an absence using the automated phone system.

There is only one option right now to choose for being absent, and that is for a full day. If your student will only be absent for a portion of the day then choose a full day, and School Messenger will automatically adjust the absence to a partial day when uploaded at the end of the day.

Please Note: The phone number and email that we have on file in PowerSchool must match the one you use for SafeArrival School Messenger.

Starting September 7, 2022, macdonalddrivejrh@nlesd.ca email will no longer be used for reporting absence notifications, as we will have finished the transition to SafeArrival. You can use this general school email for general questions and information ONLY.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we implement this new system.

To download this information as a letter, please click here.

We had a great first day here at MDJH, and we’re looking forward to another great year!

The Breakfast club is in need of parent volunteers. 10 to be exact.
Please contact the office for details.

The Breakfast Club program will start on Monday, September 12th.

Students, Parents and Guardians:

The staff and administration of MDJH are very much looking forward to seeing all of our students next week and hope that you all had a great summer! The weather was certainly fantastic!  A special welcome to our new grade 7 students and those transitioning from other schools and districts. We are excited about getting back to our regular routines and MDJH traditions. The school calendar can be found: https://www.nlesd.ca/schools/schoolcalendar.jsp. Our school opens at 7:45 am and homeroom begins at 8:05 sharp!

On Wednesday, our new grade 7 students will start the day together in the school cafeteria where they will meet the administrative team along with their homeroom teachers. They will then transition to their homerooms with their designated teachers for period 1 and 2. Homeroom teachers will assist with schedules, lockers, locks, and a school tour. During periods 3, 4, and 5, students will follow day one of their schedules and meet their subject teachers for an orientation to class. This is different for our grade 7 students as they will travel classroom to classroom versus staying in the same class for their day as in Elementary school. We require all students to use locks that are supplied through MDJH. Personal locks are prohibited.

On Wednesday, Grade 8 and 9 students will go directly to their homerooms for the first 2 periods once verifying their room number to allow them to get sorted for the year. They will then proceed to their subject teachers for periods 3, 4, and 5. The administration team will call these classes to the cafeteria for opening meetings once our grade 7 students have been taken to their homerooms.

 Buses will commence their runs as scheduled by our District. Bus planner routes are online at www.nlesd.ca/schools/busing/ under the transportation portal. Questions regarding busing should be directed to our District transportation team as schools are not involved in transportation decision making. If you are dropping your child off at our student entrance, please ensure that you continue a continuous flow of traffic along the outside lane by the concrete barrier. The inside lane is for our buses only! Please refrain from blocking that entrance. We request that you stay to the right and close to the right side of the barrier laneway. We will be out to assist with this in any case! 

The first full day of classes will be Thursday, September 8th, 2022 and it will be Day 2 of our 7 day rotating class schedule. September 29th, 2022 will be picture day. Pictures will be taken by Pegasus this year. Students will be called by classes throughout the day to get their school photos taken. If a student is absent, Pegasus will return to do a retake session that will be scheduled at a later date.

School is closed September 30th for Truth and Reconciliation Day. We will wear orange shirts on Sept. 28th, 2022 to recognize this event (the 29th of September is picture day!)  

Regular cafeteria service will begin by Chartwells on September 12, 2022. Students may eat in the cafeteria once again as well. Details are found under the school information tab on our website. They may also choose to leave the building however, they must return to school by 12 noon to begin getting ready for the afternoon session. Lates are recorded and three lates warrant a detention. 

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is continuing to provide resources and information to the public through its Covid 19 Information Website. 

https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/

https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2022/education/0818n02/

Finally, it is our District policy to advise the public when video surveillance is used in schools. Our school uses video surveillance in many of the public spaces in our school such as hallways, exits, and entrances. Video surveillance is intended to complement other forms of monitoring and promotion of secure and safe environments for our students and staff. On that note, Grade 7 students will be receiving their Acceptable Use of Technology forms in the near future for completion. Our grade 8 and 9 students already have theirs on file and therefore, will not need re- documentation unless the student is new to our school. Cell phones are also to be placed in our cell phone hotels located in each classroom of our school while instruction is taking place. 

We are delighted to be back to regular operations at MDJH. Our first newsletter will be available on September 9th, 2022. We will post monthly on our website. It is here that you will view many important information points as we set up for an awesome year ahead! Please stay tuned! 

Have a great long weekend Grizzlies! 

Click here if you would like to download a copy of this letter.

On Wednesday, September 7, the 2022-23 school year will resume for K-12 students in Newfoundland and Labrador. After three school years spent under the COVID-19 pandemic, the priority for this school year will be to maintain in-person learning.

Students, teachers and staff should expect schools to reopen under the same conditions as when classes ended in June 2022:

• Masks continue to be recommended in schools. The prevalence of illness-related absences will be monitored throughout the school year and, if necessary, masking requirements may be introduced at a school or regional level to maintain in-person classes.
• Students, teachers and staff should stay home if they become sick. However, people with COVID-19 symptoms related to other known causes (e.g. runny nose due to allergies or lingering cough from prior illness) can still attend.
• All students, teachers and staff should stay up-to-date on their vaccinations. These are key to minimizing disruptions during the school year by lessening self-isolation timeframes and allowing for a faster return to the classroom.
• Parents, especially of Kindergarten students, should ensure their children start the vaccination process as soon as possible. For more information, visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid19/vaccine.
• All classrooms and most common areas in schools throughout the province have air filtration and purification systems which were installed last year.
• Junior high and high school students will continue to have access to Chromebook devices. These were instrumental for online learning during the past year, and they have ongoing value for extending learning inside and outside the classroom.

On August 23, the Department of Education will join over 90 front-line teachers, as well as educators and representatives from both school districts, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association, Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic at a second learning impact symposium, focusing on the K-12 system. The first session, which focused on the post-secondary system, highlighted a need for greater collaboration between all parties in addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the second session a working plan will be developed, which will be released publicly this fall.

Quotes
“Our approach prioritizes the importance of in-person learning and activities that contribute to the academic, social and emotional well-being of students. We hope students, teachers and staff enjoy the reminder of their break and we look forward to welcoming you back in September.”
Honourable John Haggie
Minister of Education

Thank you for another successful year at MDJH!

At this time, we would like to say our goodbyes to the following people.

Staff who were on replacement contracts for 2021-2022:

• Ms. Lisa Bagg
• Ms. Kim Osmond
• Ms. Courtney Petten
• Ms. Jenn Hanley
• Ms. Jessica Smith
• Ms. Kerri Bungay
• Ms. Amanada Kennedy
• Ms. Denise Hackett

Staff transferring to another school:

• Ms. Alice Hunt
• Mr. Phil Smith
• Ms. Cheryl Coates
• Ms. Christin Watton
• Ms. Laura Clemens-Brenton

Staff retiring this year:

• Mr. Dave Lawton
• Mr. Glen Connolly
• Ms. Donna Parsons
• Ms. Christina Pike

Please join the MDJH staff in welcoming the following staff members to our MDJH family:

• Andrea Deer (FI, Maths)
• Lorrie-Ann Ralph (PASS)
• Suzannah Healey (IRT)
• Mark Goulding, as Social Studies Department Head
• Stephen Bouzan (Math)
• Jason Counsel, as Math Department Head

Administration:

• Carolyn Stacey, Principal
• Bruce Mandeville, .50 Assistant Principal/ .50 Socials Teacher

Congratulations to the MDJH staff that are now in new permanent positions:

• Colette Quann, as French Department Head

Updates on Awards

Given the move to Standards-Based Assessment in Math 7 and Math 8, we will no longer be issuing Honours and Principal’s List certificates in the 2022-2023 school year. As well, we will no longer issue the Academic Achievement Award for the top 3 marks in each grade. Instead, we will be looking at awards that are Department-based that reflect the whole student and are NOT focused on grades. This is necessary as the system moves towards Standards Based Assessment in all grades.

School Reopens for students Wednesday, September 6, 2022.

Have a safe and relaxing summer!

As the 2021-22 school year draws to a close, we would like to once again wish a fond farewell to our retiring teachers and staff:

• Mr. Glen Connolly
• Mr. Dave Lawton
• Ms. Donna Parsons
• Ms. Christina Pike

Best of luck to our graduating Grade 9 students as they move on to High School, and we look forward to welcoming our new and returning students in September!

Have a safe and happy summer holiday!

MEMO
TO: Students and Families at K-12 Schools
FROM: Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, Chief Medical Officer of Health
DATE: June 22, 2022
SUBJECT: Staying Up to Date on COVID-19 Vaccines

Congratulations! You have made it to the end of the school year. And what a year it was! I would like to thank each of you for everything you have done to protect yourself, your families, and your schools from COVID-19. There were many changes and challenges and, through it all, you adapted and persevered as you have done so many times before.

As summer, warmer weather, and vacations are upon us, it’s understandable that we’d like to forget about COVID-19. We can, however, have a wonderful summer and continue to do our part to keep COVID-19 under control in our province. In this regard, I encourage you and your children to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations. This is the best protection we have. It is important to get any vaccine dose that you are eligible for, even if you already had a COVID-19 infection. As a reminder:

• If you are ages 5-11, we recommend that you get two doses given at least eight weeks apart.
• If you are ages 12 and over, we recommend that you get two doses given at least eight weeks apart, followed by a booster dose at least 22 weeks after your second dose.
• Some people are recommended to have a second booster dose given at least 20 weeks after the first booster dose. Please visit Get the Shot – COVID-19 Vaccine (gov.nl.ca) to see if you are eligible for a second booster.

If you had a COVID-19 infection, you should be recovered and have no symptoms at the time of your vaccine appointment. To boost your immune response, you can wait at least eight weeks after your recovery before getting a first/second dose, and at least three months before getting a booster dose. You can talk with your health care provider about the best time to receive your next vaccine.

You can book a vaccine appointment online by visiting the “Get the Shot” page (https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/vaccine/gettheshot/). Pharmacists and physicians are also offering COVID-19 vaccine; please contact your local pharmacy or clinic for details.

Wishing you a wonderful, safe summer filled with laughter, friends, and memories.

We are proud to be a multicultural community here at MDJH, and we have students from all around the world. Here are some of our students to say, “Welcome to MDJH!”